Klay's Fizzle, Rookie Sizzle, and the Three-Point Curveball - 11/17/23

Catching you up on last night’s NBA narratives

Author

Vikram Dimba
November 17, 2023

Welcome to Hoop’d There It Is - Catching you up on last night’s NBA narratives

11/16/23

Klay’s Washed-Up Chronicles and Rookie Rundown

Welcome to another episode of "Is Klay Thompson Actually a Basketball Player Anymore?" In the latest snooze-fest between the Warriors and OKC - sans Steph and Draymond - Klay seemed to be practicing for a career in bricklaying rather than basketball. Just 5 points on 1-10 shooting. If you’re searching for a 20-point game from Klay this season, keep searching; it's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Now, let's pivot to something more exciting: the rookies!

Cason Wallace: OKC's Stealthy Sharpshooter

Cason Wallace with OKC is quietly carving out a niche for himself. Averaging 8 PPG off the bench might not scream 'headline news', but his 65% field goal shooting and over 55% from three? Now, that's something. A 78% true shooting percentage? I doubt this is sustainable otherwise he’ll be looking at even more minutes.

Brandin Podziemski: From Bench to Brilliance

Next up, Brandin Podziemski – the almost-hero in the Warriors' near-comeback against Minnesota. The guy scored 8 points in just 1 minute. Yes, you read that right. And then, in a Steph-less world, he drops a casual 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, followed by a 13/8 game on 4-7 shooting. He's 8-14 on threes in the last 3 games. Brandin, are you trying to play your way into the rotation or into our hearts?

Jaime Jaquez Jr. Shining Bright in the Heat

Shifting focus to Miami, we’ve got Butler turning up the heat with 36 points on 12-19 shooting. Miami is sneaking up to an 8-4 record, but let's not overlook another rookie – Jaime Jaquez Jr., bringing in 13.8 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game in his last 5 games. Jaime, we see you!

That’s actually why I drafted him to my Hoop’d team…

We love bold way-too-early takes

The Great Spot-Up Shootout: A Lost Art Rediscovered"

So, I was tuning into Redick's podcast today – you know, just your average NBA fan doing NBA fan things – and who pops up but Tyrese Haliburton. They're chatting about James Harden and spot-up shooting, and Tyrese drops an interesting nugget: Spot-up three-point shooting where players are aggressively moving all game to find a shot? It's a lost art. They earlier reminisced about the good ol' days with dudes like Michael Redd, Peja Stojaković, Kyle Korver, and Reggie Miller, who used to run off screens like it was a sprint at the Olympics, just for a glimpse of an open three.

Fast forward to today's game, and names like Duncan Robinson (who dropped 26 points on 8-14 shooting tonight, by the way), Steph/Klay, and Buddy Hield were thrown into the mix as the torchbearers of this 'endangered' skill.

But here's the kicker: I got curious (as one does) and looked up who's leading the NBA in spot-up threes. Drumroll, please... It's none other than a big man, Lauri Markkanen, averaging 3.6 spot-up threes per game at a 43% clip.

NBA.com

That's right, a seven-footer leading the charge in a domain once ruled by speedy guards and sharpshooters. It's 2023, and the basketball script has flipped. The big guys are not just dunking and blocking; they're shooting lights out from downtown.

See how we’re looking to re-define traditional fantasy basketball at hoopdfantasy.com